


Storm Watch

by SophillaQuesadilla



Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mutual Pining, One Shot, but they both don’t know, they like each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23758105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophillaQuesadilla/pseuds/SophillaQuesadilla
Summary: Kiara takes JJ in during a bad storm after she finds him huddled and beaten in the rain.
Relationships: JJ/Kiara (Outer Banks)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 170





	Storm Watch

**Author's Note:**

> Set vaguely previous to season one. Just some slight mutual pining and fluffy sadness! I wrote this at 5am so sorry if it’s rufff. 
> 
> I’m sorry to all you who are waiting in my other fic: it’s coming, I promise! I’m hoping to get something out by the end of the week but school has been whoopin my butt recently😂 So wish me luck and hopefully this can satisfy for now!

It was pouring buckets outside, the slosh of the rain hitting the windows and roof sounding violent. From within the warm house though it was a calming white noise that added to the cozy atmosphere of the room. Kiara was moseying around her dad’s study in boredom, picking up odd books and pens as something to keep busy. It was late and she could be going to bed but her parents were out of town for the weekend and she felt like staying up. She had planned to do just that at some party with the rest of the Pouges but the weather had other plans, forcing her and everyone else inside to avoid the horrid downpour. 

A bright flash of lighting caught her eye out the french door windows and she glanced up, reveling in the booming thunder that followed. As annoying as it was to have her party plans ruined, she loved storms. There was something exciting and mysterious and adventurous about nighttime thunderstorms. At the same time they were somehow calming, great for a cup of tea and a great murder mystery book by the fire. 

She moved to the doors and leaned against the cool panes, watching how the sky lit up the whole backyard in an instant. As another bolt hit she scanned the yard, marveling at her ability to see it clear as day. As another bolt hit, something strange caught her eye. Underneath her tree, huddled precariously against the whipping wind was a small form of something she didn’t quite recognize. Immediately the outline of the figure was gone as the sky went dark again. She glared hard at the shadow of the tree wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her. An instant flash of light told her she wasn’t and she gasped. There was someone out there! Someone was under her tree! They would freeze to death, what in the world? 

She watched again as a boom of thunder sounded and she saw more of the twitching form pressed tightly under her tree. Turning quickly away from the door, she ran to grab her sweatshirt and rain coat, backtracking to the closet in order to grab her rain boots. If there was someone out there she had to help. She just hoped it wasn’t some hobo she was about to drag into her home…

At the door she took a breath before rushing out under the heavy rain. She shrank against the cold but quickly dashed out to the tree. When she got close, a shock ran through as she recognized the shivering form in front of her. 

In nothing but a tee-shirt, cargo shorts and his regular combat boots was JJ looking like he might be half dead already. Quickly recovering from her shock she attempted to sit him up. “Oh fuck JJ, what the hell?! What are you doing here?! Shit, ok here come on, come with me… that’s it…” He had violently shrank back from her when she first spoke, but he slumped forwards once he comprehended her words, letting her drag him to his feet and to the door. Once he was inside under the light of the study she looked him over, running her hands over his arms and face. He was covered in mud from head to toe and soaked to the bone. Standing there shivering, he swayed with his lids fluttering as he leaned into her touch. “s’fine kie.” He slurred without looking at her. 

“Fine?! You call this fine?!” She whispered exasperatedly. “Come here.” She shook her boots and coat off at the door and led him gently across the tile of the house to the downstairs bathroom. She was glad there was at least a shower downstairs, though a bathtub would have been easier, because he was filthy and he looked like he would freeze into an ice block if he got any colder. “Uhm, ok uh, JJ? We need to clean you up and get you warm before anything else. Can you stand on your own?” He had been leaning quite heavily on her and she was worried he would fall in the shower if she let him clean up alone. Unfortunately there was no response, he simply pitched forward slightly towards the shower door and she had to hobble a step with him so he wouldn’t topple them both. She wasn’t sure if that had been a sad attempt at getting to the shower by himself or if he had simply lost his balance while standing still. It was extremely concerning. “Ok then… let me just, uh…” set him gently on the closed toilet lid before taking off her sweatshirt and socks so she was just in a baggy tee-shirt and pj shorts. She looked at him then, trying to figure out how best to do this. She decided to take off his boots gently along with his socks which were sopping and throw them in the sink. When she first reached for his foot though, it was like he had forgotten she was in the room and flinched back making the toilet clunk under him. He mumbled a quiet, “sorry didn mean t’..” which broke her heart. He sounded so worried that he had offended her, even pulling his arms around his chest in a wince like he was curling in on himself again. 

“Hey, hey it’s ok, I should have said something, not your fault.” She gently cooed. “Is it ok if I take your shirt off?” He looked at her then, and under the grime and wet hair that hid his eyes she could have sworn his left eye was swollen shut, his right eye not opening much further. He gazed at her like a deer in the headlights at her request and she paused. “We just need to get you clean and staying in that won’t help, it’ll keep ya cold …is it alright?” He nodded apprehensively and tried to peel the sopping fabric off by himself but winced at his own movements. Carefully bringing her hands to his shirt, making sure he could see her clearly, she helped him pull it off slowly. She tried hard to hide her gasp as his torso came into view. A mirage of dark and colorful bruises littered his ribs and stomach, the rest of him a shivering mess of goosebumps and numb pink skin. She knew now what this really was. 

It was most likely that he had gone home for the night, never a long term solution to any problem. His dad had probably gone at him again in another drunken rage. Whether Luke had kicked him out or he had ran, JJ had ended up in her backyard, meaning he had run through the forest. The Château was closer to the Maybank residence by road but from the backyard through a forest of sorts one could make it to Kiara’s house surprisingly fast. He would usually go to John B and the Château when it got bad, but only if he could get to his bike in the front yard near the drive. Obviously, he couldn’t do that and that...this was bad.

There was no way she was taking his cargo shorts off: they were caked with way too much mud, and with how wet they were it would probably hurt him more to try and take them off… among other reasons (the thought definitely not making her blush). After throwing his soggy shirt in the sink with his socks, Kiara turned on the shower to a mild temperature not wanting to shock JJ's numbed body with boiling hot water. Once she was satisfied she gently lifted him in, unbothered as her clothes were soaked under the stream as well. When he stood under the water he let out a tired moan, hugging himself in the warmth of it as he swayed back and forth precariously, eyes closed. The mud slowly slugded off of him and Kiara grabbed a soap bar and washcloth to help.

“I gonna scrub the dirt off, ok JJ?” She waited until she knew he had heard her before she brought the soapy washcloth to his chest. He still flinched but only slightly and probably from pain. As she quietly apologized he shook his head cutting her off but didn’t say anything more. They stood there quietly for a while as Kie worked, gently washing the mud off his chest and legs where most of it had caked. She braced him with her left arm the whole time, making sure he wouldn’t topple over. After she finished cleaning a majority of the mud off his body, she moved up to his face. She rubbed the soap in her hands before gently caressing his cheeks. There was definitely a bruise forming around his left eye which was already swelling but otherwise his face looked fine and she gently rubbed a thumb along his forehead and nose. She ran a hand along his strong jawline, then down his neck as if she could wash all the pain and bruising away. After turning up the temperature a bit more, she turned him so that his back was to the shower head, running her hands through his hair to massage his scalp softly. Her fingers twirled through bright blonde and with eyes closed he leaned into her touch, the whisper of a moan that escaped him sounding almost like a purr. He was swaying again but he looked relaxed, his features melted into contentment. It was possible he was falling asleep standing up.

Hands still in his hair she ran over a large bump at the base of his scull and she paused. “JJ did he hit you in the head?” He simply nudged her hands on his head and a needy groan sounded from his lips. It was both an answer to the question and a plea. A plea to not talk about it; a plea to just keep the comfort going forever so that he wouldn’t have to feel that pain; a plea to simply feel her hands gently running through his hair. 

She wanted to whimper herself. Why him? Why this poor boy, who never asked for anything, but deserved everything? Here he was muddy, bruised, and beaten, standing in her shower, asking for the simple hand of comfort to save him. And tonight Kiara was that comfort. And she’d be damned if she wasn’t gonna give this boy everything he needed. 

His swaying had intensified past the point of normal now and she felt what was gonna happen right before it did. His legs suddenly buckled and gave way from beneath him. He tried to fall against the wall and not her but it was not pretty. She caught him under the arms and pinned them against the wall so that they both wouldn’t go tumbling onto the hard tile. He cried out and whimpered as his ribs and arms were jostled quite a bit. 

“Shh, shh it’s ok, I got us it’s alright. I think we can be done, you feel warmed up enough, yeah?” He was shaking but nodded, trying to get his feet back under him. Kiara gently pulled him towards her, helping him out of the shower and back onto the toilet lid. After propping him up she wrapped a big fuzzy towel around him and rubbed up and down his arms to warm him. “There we go, that’s much better, huh?” 

“Heh, thanks mama Kie.” He croaked, voice cracking and she smiled. 

“There he is, now you sound more conscious. Make sure to stay awake now, I think you might have a concussion. I’ll be right back ok, I’m gonna grab some spare clothes for you.” She turned to go but he grabbed her wrist faintly and she stopped, giving him her full attention. 

“You don’... Kie you don’ have ta… I’ll just - I’ll just get out of-of your hair, I shouldn’t have bothered you, really… I -”

“JJ!” He had been slurring, trying to sit up and grab his stuff from the sink before she placed a hand on his chest keeping him firmly in place. “There no way in hell I’m letting you leave like this and with that weather. And there’s no way you’re apologizing cause it’s not a bother, it’s what friends are for… and none of this is your fault, ok?” She spoke so gently he almost cried right there. He looked at her in disbelief, his body settling into her touch again. “I’m just gonna grab some of dad’s old clothes for you and change out of these wet things and I’ll be right back…” She looked at him to make sure he’d stay put before leaving the bathroom. 

As soon as she left he felt empty, like all the air and light had walked out with her. He would love to just follow her out into the next room just to be with her for a little while longer, but his knee was on fire and there was no way he’d make it without falling and hurting himself more. Plus he had just barged in on Kie’s night and had no right following her around the house. He just had to take what he could get, it was more than he deserved. 

  
  
  


After changing into some sweatpants and a tank top Kiara rummaged through her dad’s drawers for any old pair of sweatpants he outgrew and another baggy tee for JJ to wear. When she came back into the bathroom JJ was slumped over sitting on the lid of the toilet. She almost dropped the clothes in concern. “JJ you still with me?” 

“Mmmhmm.” He groaned but nodded siting up again and looked at her haul. 

“Oh, ok, good. Uh I got an old Nirvana tee, and um some of my dads old college sweats he never wears anymore… and I uh… sorry I uh, didn’t grab underwear, I didn’t -” she had begun to awkwardly ramble before JJ reached up and put a hand on the clothes, cutting her off.

“Kie. It's fine, this is perfect.” He shrugged off the towel revealing again his bruises. But also his abs and now less rosy skin, his natural tan resurfacing. She blatantly eyeballed him as he slipped on the shirt. Luckily it was big enough he hadn’t needed any help. As he finished with the shirt though, she realized he was obviously gonna need some privacy if he was changing out of his soaking shorts and underwear. She turned to walk out of the bathroom but before she got far she heard him grunt in pain and the sound of him quickly gripping the towel rack made her turn again in concern. 

“Um, could you… help me with… these. The fabric is too wet for me to slip it off without hurting my knee further…” she blushed but nodded a yes, letting him rest his weight on her as they struggled to get him out of the sopping cargo shorts. She avoided eye contact with any part of him after that, blushing the whole time. “Do you…? I’m just gonna…” she left the room, not sure what she was gonna ask, as he assured her flirtatiously that he could get everything else on and off fine. She had seen him in his bathing suit many times but this was just slightly different. Of course, he also had zero sense of modesty and no qualms about his body count being generally public and exaggerated. Sadly she was certain the flirting and comfortability was just JJ being JJ. There was no way she was lucky enough to like a guy who actually liked her back. Plus JJ was like her brother...right?

  
  
  


When he hauled himself out of the bathroom she decidedly didn’t think about the fact he was just in sweats with literally nothing underneath but it was difficult when he looked, well, fine as hell. Out of every outfit possible, the most casual relaxed one is the one he looks sexy in… go figure, just her luck. It was moments like these that she cursed her stupid crush with all her might. He was hurt, probably with a concussion and broken ribs, shivering faintly, limping, and dead on his feet for goodness sakes. This was not the time to get romantic and shit. 

As she tried her hardest to get her thoughts in line, she helped him down the hall towards the guest room. There was no way she was making him climb the stairs to her room in the state he was in. She let him lean against the corner of the bed as she pulled back the covers, before she told herself ‘screw it’ and slid to the far side of the bed. There was no way she was making him sleep alone after this and if she was honest, she hated sleeping in an empty house. He gave her a confused look before he glanced around the room, grabbed the extra blanket off the end of the bed and started to lay it out on the floor. “Uh Jay, what are you doing?” 

He looked at her again like he had expected some sort of rejection and was just sad it was true. “Oh, yeah no, I just uh, I’ll let you just… I’ll just go, um somewhere… else -”

“What? - No JJ, what? I’m not, did you think? I’m offering you the bed: you still aren’t warmed up fully and combined body heat will help.” He looked at her slightly shocked before shaking his head slowly. “JJ, seriously, come on. I told you, there’s no way in hell I am letting you leave. Just get your ass in here before I change my mind!” She said it almost with a laugh, and it looked like something clicked in his brain. He hobbled over to the bed again, gingerly sliding in beside her. He was careful to give her space in the bed but it was big enough he was actually not falling off of it. He would take anything he could get in terms of Kie and if she was offering a nice cozy bed than so be it. He practically melted into it, it was softer than anything he’d even laid on and he felt like he was in heaven.

  
  


Kie watched as that relaxed look eased onto his face again. She was content to just keep staring. The way his hair slid delicately across his face. His jaw losing all it’s tension and his lips falling in a soft, subconscious smile. They were open only a fraction so that she could see the faint white of his teeth. He looked, startlingly… adorable. And beautiful, in the soft lamplight. She wanted so bad to just lean in and…

Nope, no, that's not what this is. Not what's happening right now. He's hurt! No way. Uh-uh…

So anyways…

“Shit! JJ!” she hissed at him, her hand hovering above his arm but not moving for fear of startling him. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her through his lashes. Stop it! You are  _ not  _ making this easy JJ! “Um if you do have a concussion I can’t let you crash just yet… I uh, just… let me…” with an apologetic look she grabbed her phone and did a quick google search. “Ok lets see, how about this. Just let me know how bad it is. Firstly, do you have a severe headache?” He looked at her for a second before he responded.

“Mild, just hurts to press hard against the back of my head.”

“Ok, any nausea or vomiting? Well, obviously not vomiting, sorry just nausea then…?”

“Nuh-uh.” He smirked.

“How about blurred vision or light sensitivity?”

“Not that I can tell.”

“You’re forming coherent sentences and staying awake fine, that's good... Any numbness anywhere?” She gestured at him, looking up for his response.

“Hmmm...no.” he said after mentally scanning his body.

“What about… NOISE SENSITIVITY?” She raised her voice slightly, laughing. 

“NOPE.” Popping the ‘p’, he laughed as well, replying at the same volume.

“Hehe, um, ok, lastly, any memory loss you can account for?”

His mood instantly changed. He shook his head and cleared his throat. “No.” His clipped reply was made to the sheets, his eyes darkening as he frowned. “I wish.” It was muttered under his breath, but she heard it. She knew what he meant and she visibly winced. Well that was a terrible sign, even if it did bode well for his concussion status. JJ was pretty physically beaten, but she’d seen him worse. For him to show up at her house under the circumstances she assumed he had, and in the mental state he was obviously in… Luke had done much more than physically abuse JJ tonight.

“I’m sorry Jay.”

“Not your fault.”

“Not yours either ya’ know? Whatever… whatever he said JJ, it's complete bullshit. He doesn’t know you, not like me - He has no right being that shitty to you! There’s -” 

“Kie...Can we please...can we please not talk about it right now?” His voice was incredibly small, eyes squeezed shut as he sunk deeper into the covers. She stuttered, still mad but more concerned. 

“Yeah… yeah, ok. Of course.” She put her phone on the bedside table and snuggled back into the blankets. She watched him sadly: his brows still pinched, his lips in a tight line. He looked so tired, pained, nervously drawing circles into the sheets. She watched him for a while, praying that that relaxed look would melt onto his face again. She slowly reached out to his busy hand and he stilled. Gently wrapping her fingers around his, she brought them up to her lips, placing on them a delicate kiss. He watched her as she did, the wrinkle of worry falling away as he stared openly at her. She held his gaze tenderly. They stayed that way as she ran her thumb across his calloused knuckles.

“Hm, you never asked where my parents were.” She voiced her random thought, interrupting the comfortable silence. 

“Heh, I assumed it was just you at home when no one came running as you dragged my half-dead-ass into your mansion house.” He smiled, closing his eyes as he tightened his grip on her hand minutely.

“I was just hoping I wasn’t about to drag some sleazy old bum into the study. Yet unfortunately…!”

He laughed openly at her accusation, smacking her hand in retaliation. She giggled, pulling away from his attack only to push him back lightly. The spark that she could see in his eyes made her giddy and happy. She wriggled closer ever so slightly as he situated his forearm under his head and let his other hand lay flat on the sheet between them, filling the space. He continued to smile as he held her gaze, something there that she’d never seen before. It made her dizzy. She bit her lip as the feeling bubbled inside her and his eyes followed the motion, trailing slowly back up to her brown eyes. An invisible magnet had seemingly pulled them closer without them noticing. They were close enough now that their breath was mingling. He could smell mint gum and lemon tea as she breathed out and he thought it had to be the most relaxing thing he had ever felt. There was an unspoken tension, a livewire that ran between them but neither moved. His eyes were dark and tired as he watched her lips again. 

“Thank you…” He whispered, his breath hit her softly, eyes staying where they were, transfixed. Love, in every sense of the word, was the only feeling she could think of in that moment.

“Always…” she whispered back. And as she breathed out the word his face relaxed, melted into that beautiful contentment. His eyes fluttered closed, the shadow of a smile faint on his cracked lips. 

As the storm continued to rage outside, they fell asleep peacefully, sharing the same space, the same breath. All worry and pain seeped out, leaving a quiet contentment to rein over the room, and in that one night they could have stayed forever, the promise of  _ Always  _ an ever-echoing whisper of care. Of protection. 

Of Love.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y’all like it! It was really fun to write even though I’m exhausted now!! 
> 
> Like I said I’m still working on my sixth chapter for Family is Safest and I want to have something up by the end of the week🤞🏼


End file.
